Innovation in Language Learning

In an era, where artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing, the art of delivering presentations remains one of the few academic skills that technology cannot (yet) replace. Every presentation is a unique, emotional experience; something only human speakers can provide. This course, offered by the Center of Internationalisation and Parallel Language Use (CIP) at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, is distinctive in its focus on academic presentation techniques. While business schools have long integrated business communication into their curriculum, recognising the importance of speaking skills, academic presentation skills are rarely taught at traditional universities, despite their crucial role on all levels in scholarly work. This course addresses that gap, equipping students with essential skills for both academic and professional success. Over 12 weekly sessions, students explore elements such as ethos, logos, and pathos, nonverbal communication, voice control, charisma, storytelling, and linguistic tools such as the implementation of rhetorical elements and academic vocabulary. The course draws on research-based material on academic speaking, using examples from both academic and popular video presentations to demonstrate effective strategies. Students are taught how to plan, structure, prepare, and deliver presentations supported by PowerPoint slides, ensuring they can effectively convey complex ideas in a clear, engaging, and academic manner. Their in-class deliveries are recorded and serve as material for improving all students’ skills. By using a rubric, students provide the presenters with extensive written peer feedback. The presenters also receive detailed teacher feedback through a written analysis of their presentations. By the end of the course, the aim is for students to feel confident in speaking academically not only at exams, class discussions, and auditoria lectures, but also in future professional roles.